How to Effectively Manage a Team of Writers

How I Lead

Throughout my life, I've always been deemed a "natural born leader." My philosophy is that positivity, organization, and a sense of community are the three, key elements to effectively guiding a team. It's my belief that a leader's job is to keep the momentum going, to offer support and direction to a group. In turn, a project moves quickly, fluidly and encourages all members to participate.

When we think about the word "team," our first thought should always be "equality and togetherness." This mindset motivates all members of a group to share their ideas, setbacks, and commentary freely because they understand that we are all responsible for the success and outcome of a project. Even though I am leading or managing a team it's important for my team members to know that I'm working alongside them, not above them. One way I promote this way of thinking among my group members is to ask each person their thoughts or opinion after an idea is shared. In the same idea, if I have a thought about a sentence but I don’t want to say, "this sentence sounds bad," I include my group members by saying, "read the sentence out loud, is there anything about it that could be improved?" I have found that presenting an idea as a question to group members empowers them to make a decision as opposed to me just dominating the conversation.

In my last semester of graduate school, I managed a team of undergraduates to create instruction manuals for iFixit.com. Even during a pandemic and remote learning, we were able to successfully curate, edit and optimize three different webpages for the iFixit organization. During a team meeting, we completed self-assessment forms, my group members generously commented on my leadership style stating:

"Sarah's leadership stye is one that I find both agreeable and highly motivating. Her excellent scaffolding skills help us to know what’s expected and that she's there to work with us not above us. In the context of being a boss versus being a leader, Sarah is definitely a leader."

-Dana Borger

"Sarah has a great leadership style as she works well to delegate and oversee the projects we are currently working on. Her communication skills help move the group forward, allowing for ample time and direction given to us to complete tasks. Sarah’s leadership is done in such a way where I feel valued and secure in the team’s success!"

-Rose Salinas

My style of leadership lifts my teammates up, boosts their self-confidence, morale and allows the team to successfully complete projects in a timely manner, together. I am proud to be able to bring the best out of others and appreciate my professional value as a "natural born leader."

Anticipate Common Challenges

There are common challenges we can expect when it comes to working on a project with a team of writers. The most prevalent include:

• Time conflicts/meeting cancellations

• A team member not understanding a task

• Personal matters

• Technology issues

• Low motivation

• Uneven work distribution

• Fast deadlines

• Difference of opinion

With planning, research, organization and understanding, these challenges can be quickly and effectively resolved.

Face Challenges Head-on

The most efficient tools to use when faced with a challenge are preparedness and organization. In my experience as a team manager, time conflict, personal matters and general misunderstandings were some of the reoccurring issues that my team faced early on. I planned for these challenges with foresight; having a back-up plan ready to go. I have found that having a plan A, B and C can save time and stress, especially when faced with a challenge.

For example, when it comes to time conflicts, having an alternate time or communication plan ready to go can mitigate any last-minute stress. Especially if a group member has a personal emergency and cannot meet at the original time. As an understanding and adaptable leader, I started an informal group chat with my team members. In this form of communication, they felt more comfortable discussing solutions and issues that came up. Through this method, we were able to quickly find solutions and other times to meet.

When I worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Graduate College at Northern Arizona University, my supervisor taught me the importance of details and anticipating potential pitfalls. I use her strategies regularly in my own leadership style, principally with "task emails." When I work with a group, I find that it's always a good idea to have a record of tasks, even if we met in person. This allows members to refer to the document or email and read over their specific responsibilities.

Furthermore, a "task email" can clarify responsibilities or steps of a task so team members are less likely to misunderstand their responsibilities. In an instance of technological issues, directions can be attached to an email, or an alternate communication method can be provided. A "task email" can also include a detailed schedule. This allows team members to see how work is distributed and when deadlines occur.

When I personally lead group work, I always schedule a due date for 24 hours before the actual deadline. This type of scheduling allows myself and my group members to edit our work or catch any mistakes in a timely manner. My team members and I would meet regularly over zoom to discuss any comments, questions, additions, or editorial remarks throughout the week, however a 24-hour buffer allowed us to rectify any last-minute issues before issuing a final product.

How to Format a Task Email

Example of a task email:

"Hello Team,

I'm pleased to report that iFixit has approved all our proposals, thanks for all your hard work on these drafts.

This week we will be using Google Suite to complete our drafts. We are now ready to move on to "phase two" for all three of our projects. This week we are tasked with creating drafts of these projects. Click here to access our group's Google Suite.

Tasks

• Dana, please connect your iFixit account to our group as soon as possible (I sent you an instruction email about how to achieve this).

• Dana, please handle the SEO webpage and apply the heading changes designated by iFixit:

  • "Be sure to follow the instructions here for formatting section headers. You'll know you've done this correctly when the section headers appear in a table of contents on the left side of the page."

• Rose, please spearhead the “editing” webpage and make any necessary changes pointed out by iFixit:

  • "We also noticed you asked some great questions. A user would likely use the "spudger" in Step 8—thanks for including this information in the guide. As for the bullets, guides that are marked with "Bullets!" flag need to have color-coordinated bullets to match the markup in the images. You can find more information about the Bullets! flag here. It also looks like the markup in some of the images is colored incorrectly. For each new step that requires markup, the markup should start with red. Before matching the bullets to the markup, make sure the markup is colored correctly. You can learn more about markup here."

Deadlines

All tasks are due no later than Monday at 9 am.

Meeting Time

I'd like the opportunity to meet with you all this week, I am available on Monday-Thursday at 10 am. Please respond to this email with your availability.

We will meet over zoom, please refer to this zoom link (insert link here or hyperlink the text ) if you run into any technological issues or dial in by phone using this number ________.

Questions

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please let me know and I'll respond as soon as I can. Thanks so much for all your hard work!

Sincerely,

Sarah"

Why is Communication Important?

Communication with team members is a necessity. I always check in with my group to make sure they are aware of their tasks and deadlines. At the beginning of the week, I typically would send a “Task email." Midway through the week, I would text my group members (they preferred this form of communication for check-ins) to see how they were doing or if they needed any help. Then at the end of the week, usually the day of or sometime near the deadline, we would meet over zoom and chat about any final ideas or issues.

Any challenge can be overcome with a plan, communication, and organization; asking members for updates, or if they need help, can avoid misunderstandings and stress in the future. Communication can also be useful when differences in opinion arise. Group members should feel safe and supported when sharing their thoughts. I personally encourage my group members to explain their opinion and we can usually come to a conclusion together.

I have found in this age of technology that emails are typically seen as a more formal medium of communication, while texting is more casual and quicker and zoom meetings are a time for candid conversation and productivity.

Zoom Meetings Inspire Team Morale

When a team is remote, it is imperative that a leader considers their co-worker's mindset and mental well-being. A blog about Leadership and Management Advice taught me that scheduling a weekly zoom meeting can help boost a team's morale. This face-to-face interaction and anticipated meeting time allow members to recognize the human aspects of group work. Furthermore, a virtual meeting sets aside a designated time to review the project and sets clear expectations for the team moving forward.

Since we were completing this project during a global pandemic, our only mode of meeting face-to-face was over zoom. I remember my group member Dana saying, "this is my only form of social interaction all week!" Rose and I validated her comment in agreement. It was necessary for us to not only meet as a team, to be productive, but also just to provide social interaction among the group. As we worked on the project together, we formed a quick sense of community and understanding. Meeting over zoom allowed us to see first-hand our strengths and weaknesses as a group. In this way, we were able to work together more efficiently.

Zoom calls also allow a human aspect that texts and emails simply don't, body language. As a leader I can assess potential non-verbal cues and quickly assist with issues or questions over a zoom call. I can see emotional cues from facial expressions such as frustration, joy, or confusion. Especially during a global pandemic, the social aspect of a team promotes a community feeling and allows team members to bond. My team members and I chatted about Flagstaff, hiking and how excited we were for the opportunity to contribute to iFixit's website. We knew that our contributions were valuable and together we could make a real difference and benefit the website.